Missouri hospital staff provides lifesaving care to CEO after heart attack

Bill Bridges, CEO of Texas County Memorial Hospital in Houston, Mo., became a heart patient at work and was saved by the actions of staff.

Mr. Bridges discussed his story in an Aug. 15 hospital news release.

“I had just mowed the grass and was relaxing at home when I started walking down the hallway and noticed that my hands and fingers didn’t feel right,” Mr. Bridges recalled, referring to July 17, when he suffered a heart attack. “I told my wife, Shannon, that I thought something was wrong. Then I passed out and slid down the wall.”

After his wife called 911, Mr. Bridges regained consciousness and collapsed again when trying to get up, but then received care from EMS crew members Travis Mills and Jason Steelman, according to the release. An ECG at his home showed he suffered a severe heart attack, and he was transported to the Texas County Memorial Hospital emergency department.

Once he arrived at the hospital, Jared Emery, DO, the physician on call, ordered a second ECG as well as other testing that confirmed the heart attack, according to the release.

Mr. Bridges received a “clot buster” medication while at Texas County Memorial Hospital and was then transported to Cox Hospital in Springfield, Mo., a level 1 STEMI center.

At Cox Hospital, testing showed Mr. Bridges’ right coronary artery was completely blocked, and he underwent surgery, according to the release. He returned home after a two-night hospital stay and began a 12-week cardiac rehabilitation program at Texas County Memorial Hospital.

“I am proud to share stories about our patient outcomes every chance I get — how we make a difference in people’s lives,” Mr. Bridges said in the release about the hospital he leads. “Now I have my own story. I experienced firsthand the extraordinary care our staff provides. If TCMH hadn’t been here, my outcome could have been very different. I am deeply proud of — and grateful for — every member of our team.”

Texas County Memorial Hospital is a 66-bed, general acute care institution with a main campus in Houston and clinics across Texas and Wright counties in Missouri.

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